David Bahn – Reflections

[God] has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, ¹⁴ in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

¹⁵ He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. ¹⁶ For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. ¹⁷ And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. ¹⁸ And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. ¹⁹ For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, ²⁰ and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.

²¹ And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, ²² he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him, ²³ if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister. – Colossians 1:13-23

My son tells the story of a road trip he took while in college. They were coming home for the Christmas holidays. His soon-to-be wife was in the car, along with another friend who was hitching a ride to his home. He asked, “Are we there yet?” They had not moved an inch. My son’s reply: “Yes! Get out.” They had miles to go before they slept, as the saying goes. They had not gone far at all – to say the least.

Sometimes we may not realize how far we have to go in our relationship with God. Or how far we have come. That’s mostly because we live day to day without giving much thought to the incredible journey of grace we’ve traveled. Or the impossible-to-comprehend journey of grace God took to rescue and redeem us. We’re thankful, to be sure, of God’s love. We rejoice in his mercy and forgiveness. We pray for his help and support. We look for his wisdom and guidance. But we seldom look over the chasm of utter doom and destruction from which we have been rescued and that lies between us and God apart from that grace.

Paul points these people to the extent of God’s rescue from their wayward lives and rebellious hearts prior to being reconciled to God. That they were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds is no small claim. It’s a thing of the past. But the past is history they needed to claim. It’s a matter of humility. It’s also a matter of God’s mercy and grace. The call to remember their former brokenness was also a warning. If they do not continue in this faith, the implication is clear. There is a blessing and status to be forfeited.

I don’t like to think about this. I’d rather believe we can all live well and celebrate with the angels in blissful happiness. Without worry of being lost. Without danger of losing the gift of God. But maybe the warning is needed. Maybe?!? I’m thinking it’s here for our edification. I’m thinking it’s a warning. I don’t think it’s a moment when we haven’t actually left on the trip, asked “Are we there yet?” only to hear God answer, “Yes. Get out.” But I take this as a serious warning to remember the height from which we might fall – apart from God’s mercy and a life of continuing faithfulness (Cf. Revelation 2:5).

Thanks be to God for his mercy and grace! We do have a past. But we also have a Savior by whom we have been reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to be presented holy and blameless and above reproach before him. I don’t believe we never sin after our conversion. But I do believe we must not take any sin lightly, and by so doing cheapen the grace of God. A sober reminder for me. Maybe for you, too, dear reader.

[God] has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, ¹⁴ in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

¹⁵ He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. ¹⁶ For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. ¹⁷ And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. ¹⁸ And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. ¹⁹ For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, ²⁰ and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.

²¹ And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, ²² he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him, ²³ if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister. – Colossians 1:13-23

I’ve noticed something about the way my wife and I deal with leftovers differently. It may have to do with our unique personalities and approaches to life. Her’s is decidedly more reserved than mine. That’s not a critical remark. In fact it may be a complement. I might could learn something from her. What has that to do with dealing with leftovers? I’m inclined to eat the last two tablespoons of the roasted veggies, or piece of salmon. She’s more inclined to save them for tomorrow’s veggie omelette or salad. Or when we do put them in containers, I’m often choosing a smaller one than she would. “It’ll fit in this one,” I’ll remark.

Which brings me to this delightfully mysterious truth in verse 19. All the fullness of the deity was pleased to dwell in Jesus. This is another way to say, “The Word became flesh.” This is another way of saying that Jesus is not just the son of Mary, but the Son of God, from eternity true God, and for a while true man on earth. 

I am struck by the idea that God put himself into human flesh. He took on bodily form. He became one of us. He did not remain aloof. He did not wipe out the world that he had created, even though man had corrupted it by his waywardness and rebellion. He came to deliver us. He came to reconcile all things to himself through the cross of Jesus. It took a man to redeem lost mankind. And God put himself fully to the task of it. 

“Two mighty words; ‘fullness’a substantial, comprehensive, expressive word in itself, and ‘all,’ a great little word including everything. When combined in the expression, ‘all fullness,’ we have before us a superlative wealth of meaning.” (Spurgeon)

Even more importantly I note that God was pleased to do this. Reconciling us and all things to himself. Doing it through the cross. Coming to earth and dwelling in bodily form. Making all this happen through the cross – the death of His own son. God was pleased to do this. The Greek word, εὐδόκησεν, is an expression of God’s pleasure and indicates that God was not begrudging in this act of reconciliation and salvation. The word has the same root as is used at Jesus’ baptism, “This is my Son, with him I am well pleased.” It enlarges God’s heart to see us redeemed, reconciled, restored, and rescued. 

God is all in for us, and pleased to be so. Where do we need to reflect that today? 

[God] has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, ¹⁴ in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

¹⁵ He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. ¹⁶ For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. ¹⁷ And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. ¹⁸ And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. ¹⁹ For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, ²⁰ and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.

²¹ And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, ²² he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him, ²³ if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister. – Colossians 1:13-23

“Dad, I’ve noticed something. When you preach, no matter what you’re talking about you end up talking about Jesus.” My son was sincerely wishing to help me be a better preacher. To be fair with him, he might have had a point. But at the same time, so did I. I want to get people to Jesus in any case, no matter what the sermon is about. For I truly believe that, “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. ¹⁶ For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. ¹⁷ And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. ¹⁸ And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent.” That being the case, I believe he should be preeminent in my preaching. 

Because Jesus is all that – and more – I feel compelled to bring the hearer to Jesus every opportunity I get. John’s gospel was given so that the readers and hearers of it would believe that “Jesus is the Christ,  the Son of God, and that by believing they may have life in his name. (John 20:31) My hope is to give life to my hearers (and readers!). Hopefully you’ll encounter Jesus here regularly. 

I love this passage because it gives so much glory to Jesus. Attaching words and phrases like firstborn of all creation, preeminent, image of the invisible God, and the One who holds all things together, points us to honor Jesus like none other. This is so appropriate, however, not only because of his majestic glory but even more so because of his grace and love. 

A missionary working in east Asia spoke of the many people there who do not know Jesus and are not giving him the honor he deserves. That phrase caught my attention. I want Jesus to be honored. He is my Savior and Lord. He is pure and good. My friend identified her place of missionary activity as east Asia because she is actually potentially in danger if the wrong people get wind of her work where she is. But her desire to honor Jesus has moved her to this. I hope that I can honor Jesus similarly wherever I serve him – not just in my sermons or blog posts, but in all I think, say, or do. He is surely worthy of it.

Meditate on and pray these psalms on this Lord’s Day. Pray for the war-ravaged people in Ukraine. Pray for the people of this nation. Pray for mothers and their children. Pray for those who voice opinions different from yours. Pray that God’s name will be praised, and people will turn to him.

Mercer Arboretum Flowers

A visit to Mercer Arboretum yielded these photos. Enjoy these “Flowers by God!”

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,

² To the saints and faithful brothers in Christ at Colossae:

Grace to you and peace from God our Father.

³ We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, ⁴ since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, ⁵ because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel, ⁶ which has come to you, as indeed in the whole world it is bearing fruit and increasing—as it also does among you, since the day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth, ⁷ just as you learned it from Epaphras our beloved fellow servant. He is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf ⁸ and has made known to us your love in the Spirit.

⁹ And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, ¹⁰ so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; ¹¹ being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy; ¹² giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. ¹³ He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, ¹⁴ in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

Colossians 1:1-14

My prayer life seems to grow and recede based on the stress and challenges real and imagined before me. When it’s a troubling time, I will spend the waking hours praying. Until recently I would pray the Lord’s Prayer. Again and again I would pray, “Our Father, who art in heaven…” I would also take note of the places where my mind would wander away from the specific petitions of that beautiful and deeply-meaningful prayer. I wonder what is going on in my life in relation to that petition, I would think. 

More recently I have learned two additional prayer strategies in those sleepless moments. My friend and seminary classmate Jeff Gibbs spoke of praying the Agnus Dei, “Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, have mercy on us…and grant us peace.” A beautiful prayer, seeking God’s mercy and peace.

Yet another prayer is also edifying and comforting. Naming the things for which you are specifically thankful is a richly pacifying prayer discipline. I get to think of my wife, children, grandchildren, friends, and the many blessings from God. This reminds me of God’s goodness, expressed in past blessings, and points me in faith and hope for God’s continued goodness in my life. 

Here we have other specific things for which we must also pray. 

And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, ¹⁰ so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; ¹¹ being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy; ¹² giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. ¹³ He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, ¹⁴ in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. – Colossians 1:9-14

Praying for other believers to know God’s will, to have wisdom and understanding, and to live a life worthy of our Lord Jesus is an important prayer. We pray these things over those who have been saved, not in order that they may be saved. Once saved, however, the temptations and challenges to our faith do not magically stop. That’s why we must also pray the we who bear the name Jesus will bear fruit, increase in our knowledge of God, and endure in our walk of faith. 

God has delivered us. We have been redeemed. Our sins have been forgiven. From that foundation of God’s grace and salvation we pray, giving thanks to the Father for those who walk with us in the light of God’s love. 

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,

² To the saints and faithful brothers in Christ at Colossae:

Grace to you and peace from God our Father.

³ We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, ⁴ since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, ⁵ because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel, ⁶ which has come to you, as indeed in the whole world it is bearing fruit and increasing—as it also does among you, since the day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth, ⁷ just as you learned it from Epaphras our beloved fellow servant. He is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf ⁸ and has made known to us your love in the Spirit.

⁹ And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, ¹⁰ so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; ¹¹ being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy; ¹² giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. ¹³ He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, ¹⁴ in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

Colossians 1:1-14

I’m generally an optimistic person. To a fault sometimes. I see half-full cups, lights at the end of tunnels, and hope for happy days. Most days. But these days, not so much. Statistics tell us that the Christian Church in North America is following the path of the Church in Europe. It’s shrinking daily. Pastors are abandoning their callings. People are absent from worship more than ever before in my lifetime. The younger generations are progressively more disconnected from the church at best and at worst antagonistic to the Christian faith. It seems to me that we’re riding the back side of the wave of Christendom. 

It’s hard to be very optimistic in the face of these realities and feelings. 

Thank God for Africa! The largest and fastest growing Lutheran Church in the world is in Ethiopia. Ethiopia! The Lutheran Church in Tanzania – a country less than ½ the size of the US is larger than The Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod. There is no perfect church or completely faithful country anywhere, but there are certainly bright spots! 

My optimism is piqued when I think of these things and put that along side Paul’s words:

We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, ⁴ since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, ⁵ because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel, ⁶ which has come to you, as indeed in the whole world it is bearing fruit and increasing—as it also does among you, since the day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth. – Colossians 1:3-6

The gospel is coming to people every day. More and more people are hearing. The number of the redeemed and saved is growing by the grace and mercy of God. 

Corrie ten Boom said it well: “If you look at the world, you’ll be distressed. If you look within, you’ll be depressed. If you look at God you’ll be at rest.” Paul is urging us to look to God. He’s pointing us toward our heavenly hope. He’s reminding us that God’s plans are for blessing, good, and eternal joy. He invites us into that hope. 

That doesn’t mean we don’t mourn for the lost. It doesn’t mean we don’t seek to bring the message of Jesus to more and more people. Quite the contrary. We rejoice in God’s work in the lives of more and more people, and do whatever we can to help make the world come alive around us. His message of Good News enlivens that hope and sustains us in that effort.

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,

² To the saints and faithful brothers in Christ at Colossae:

Grace to you and peace from God our Father.

³ We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, ⁴ since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, ⁵ because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel, ⁶ which has come to you, as indeed in the whole world it is bearing fruit and increasing—as it also does among you, since the day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth, ⁷ just as you learned it from Epaphras our beloved fellow servant. He is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf ⁸ and has made known to us your love in the Spirit.

⁹ And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, ¹⁰ so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; ¹¹ being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy; ¹² giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. ¹³ He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, ¹⁴ in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

Colossians 1:1-14

The book, Leadership and Self Deception, offers very telling insights into how to become more self-aware by learning to see your faults more accurately, understanding other’s strengths and needs in a more generous light, and responding positively to the instinct within you to help other people as much as possible.

The premise is that truth has to do with acknowledging our sin and shortcomings. Certainly this is aligned with 1 John 1:8, “If we say we have no sin we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.” But as I read this passage (above), I begin to see a different facet of truth’s place in the life of a believer, and – more importantly – in the proclamation of the gospel.

If Jesus is the way, the truth [emphasis added], and the life – which most certainly he is –  then a failure to acknowledge our sin renders us bereft of Jesus. 

On top of that, Jesus himself says, that if we continue in his word we will know the truth, and the truth will set us free. (John 8:31-32) 

Paul speaks of the gospel as the word of truth – equating the two in the verses above. I’m wondering how I might reimagine 1 John 1:8-9. Somehow an acknowledgement of my sin is key to Jesus’ presence in my life. Interesting. You might think the exact opposite. Sinless ones are those in whom Jesus lives we would suppose. People who have defeated sin are the ones who have Jesus in their hearts. 

To some extent such a view would be good news…if we are able to rid ourselves of this cancer. Problem is, I’ve not been able to do so. I stand with the likes of Martin Luther, Augustine of Hippo, Billy Graham, and St. Paul himself (“wretched man that I am”). And we have Jesus in our hearts. 

You might say, but how can evil (sin) exist where Jesus is? The better question is how does Jesus deal with sinners? He eats with them. He calls them to be Apostles. He forgives them. He heals them. He sends them. He loves them. 

This is the good news: Jesus Christ came to save sinners. I am one of them. And he is my Savior and Lord. That word needs to be spread to the whole world. The signs on our church marquees should read, “Sinners Welcome.” 

This is no excuse for sinning further. This is a call to praise God for his glorious grace, and live in that grace day by day. 

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,

² To the saints and faithful brothers in Christ at Colossae:

Grace to you and peace from God our Father.

³ We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, ⁴ since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, ⁵ because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel, ⁶ which has come to you, as indeed in the whole world it is bearing fruit and increasing—as it also does among you, since the day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth, ⁷ just as you learned it from Epaphras our beloved fellow servant. He is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf ⁸ and has made known to us your love in the Spirit.

⁹ And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, ¹⁰ so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; ¹¹ being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy; ¹² giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. ¹³ He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, ¹⁴ in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

Colossians 1:1-14

I had the pleasure of connecting today with three pastors who are part of the Harvest Partnership – a church-planting network. This group of pastors and church planters mostly in Texas is encouraging and supporting one another in the task of starting new congregations. This is a vitally-important task given the current state of the Christian Church in North America. Churches and the number of people who identify with the Christian Church are rapidly declining. Planting churches is the most effective means by which new people are brought into the Christian faith. These guys are heroes for the kingdom of God! I thank God for them!

Such arrangements are new in one sense. Local congregations have only more recently taken the lead in starting churches. St. John, the church I served, planted two mission starts during the time I was there. I was able to restart a mission start in Utah when I served there. 

But it was not always so. For a time the basic strategy for starting new congregations in my church body was to say, “Here’s a group of Lutherans who don’t have a church close by. Let’s start a new Lutheran congregation.” 

Now it’s much more, “Here’s a place where there are no Lutheran Churches (or possibly too few churches at all). Let’s start a mission here. Let’s see how we can bring the Good News of Jesus to them. 

That’s not new. This was Paul’s strategy. He would go from town to town and look for people of peace through whom a new congregation was started. Colossae was one of those places. But he did not hang around there long. He would appoint elders and leaders to see to the continuing development of the congregation. Occasionally he would need to offer correction, encouragement, and instruction to the various congregations he had started. Colossae was one of those congregations.

But Paul never claimed to be alone. He constantly mentions other people who were partners in the gospel. Whether it’s Timothy, Epaphras, Silas, Acquilla, or Priscilla, Paul partnered with these people. And the kingdom of God grew. Do you have a partner who is dedicated with you for the sake of the Kingdom? 

Afterword: I’m at the Texas District LCMS Theological Convocation this week. I had the opportunity here to talk with a couple of pastors today. They both mentioned my number one ministry parter, Diane. How thankful I am that God has given us both opportunities to work together for the sake of his kingdom! Each of us also have others with whom we partner in this work. This is something for which we both give praise to God.

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,

² To the saints and faithful brothers in Christ at Colossae:

Grace to you and peace from God our Father.

³ We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, ⁴ since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, ⁵ because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel, ⁶ which has come to you, as indeed in the whole world it is bearing fruit and increasing—as it also does among you, since the day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth, ⁷ just as you learned it from Epaphras our beloved fellow servant. He is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf ⁸ and has made known to us your love in the Spirit.

⁹ And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, ¹⁰ so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; ¹¹ being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy; ¹² giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. ¹³ He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, ¹⁴ in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

Colossians 1:1-14

I am back in the pulpit on a regular basis once again. Serving as a vacancy pastor at St. Mark Lutheran Church in Conroe, Texas has offered me a welcome return. The greatest compliment regarding this reengagement was from my dear wife. She said, “You were in your sweet spot,” when she was able to join me there last week. And so, I am once again, “Pastor Bahn.” Although I am happy to be known simply as David or Dave, I’m also happy to claim this title as a pastor. I consider it an honor and a privilege.

And that’s what it is. That is a reflection of Paul’s greeting here in his letter to the church in Colossae. He claims the title apostle. The term means sent-one. And in the early years of the church the apostles also occupied a vital place of importance in keeping the faith alive and true. They had a place of authority, securing the gentile believers’ place in the Christian Church and even validating Paul’s mission work. 

Paul claims this title because of a very special encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus. You can read about that in Acts 9:1-19. In that encounter Paul learned that he would be a major factor of God’s kingdom’s advance. It was important to him and for the sake of the kingdom so much that Paul not only used it here, but would make the point in other writings that he was an apostle by God’s call – not by man’s arrangement. 

This was not a matter of personal aggrandizement for Paul. It was for the sake of the gospel message. It was so that he could offer grace and peace through our Lord Jesus Christ. 

This is my claim as well. I stand little on being a pastor as a place of authoritarian power, but much more on the basis of sharing the grace and peace that comes through faith in Jesus Christ. Nor is he alone. Nor is this happening only in Collassae. I look forward to reflecting on that this week.